Celebrating Canadian talent: 2018 Governor general’s performing arts award laureates announced

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OTTAWA, March 8, 2018 – The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of Canada’s most prestigious performing arts awards.

The laureates of the 2018 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are:

  • Andrew Alexander – Theatre, film and television producer Andrew Alexander is a prolific theatre, film and television producer, notably of The Second City—the world’s premier improv comedy club, theatre and school—and the award-winning sketch comedy show “SCTV.” As the CEO and executive producer of The Second City, he has devoted over 40 years to cementing its status as an international comedy empire. Through its theatres, training centres and outreach programs, the organization has popularized the art of improvisation and elevated the quality of comedic theatre in North America.
  • Geneviève Bujold – Actress In a career spanning more than 50 years, Geneviève Bujold has appeared in more than 70 films in both English and French, and her intensity, passion, and luminous screen presence have earned her international acclaim and numerous awards. From historical dramas to thrillers and adventure movies, her work is as impressive for its range as for its quality: as Moe Doiron of The Globe and Mail remarked, “There’s nothing that could be called ‘a typical Geneviève Bujold picture.’” Her best-known lead roles include Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days (directed by Charles Jarrott, 1969) and Élisabeth in Kamouraska (Claude Jutra, 1973); more recently, she appeared in Still Mine (Michael McGowan, 2012) and Chorus (François Delisle, 2015).
  • Peter A. Herrndorf, C.C. (Special Award) – Arts advocate, leader and passionate Canadian Peter A. Herrndorf has devoted his career to journalism, broadcasting and the arts in Canada. As president and CEO (1999–2018) of Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC), North America’s only multidisciplinary, bilingual performing arts centre, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the centre’s mandate: to play a leadership role in fostering artistic excellence in all disciplines of the performing arts in Canada. A visionary champion of performance, creation and learning, he was instrumental in establishing the National Arts Centre Foundation and the NAC’s Indigenous Theatre Department, and is credited with transforming the NAC artistically through major national and international cultural projects, and physically through a $225.4-million architectural rejuvenation and production renewal project completed in 2018.
  • Angela Hewitt, C.C. – Concert pianist Angela Hewitt is widely considered the leading Bach pianist of our time. Known for her clarity, precision and vast repertoire, she has performed in recital and with major orchestras around the world and is especially renowned for her recordings of all of
  • S. Bach’s major keyboard works. Her discography also includes solo recordings of Couperin, Rameau, Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Chabrier, Granados, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel and Messiaen, as well as concertos by Mozart and Schumann. Personal communication with her audience is important to her, and she has built a huge international fan base.
  • Ginette Laurin, C.M. – Dancer and choreographer Hailed internationally as one of Canada’s foremost choreographers, with more than 50 works to her credit, Ginette Laurin is a pioneer of the contemporary dance movement in Quebec. She is the founding artistic director of O Vertigo, and worked with the company for over 30 years. She has also hosted numerous dance workshops and taught at several universities and theatre schools in Canada and internationally.
  • Murray McLauchlan, C.M. – Singer-songwriter Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s leading singer–songwriters. Known for his socially conscious songs, he achieved wide acclaim for his 1972 breakthrough single “Farmer’s Song,” which earned him the first of 11 Juno Awards. He is also an accomplished visual artist and a popular radio and TV host. Deeply committed to the art of songwriting and creators’ rights, he has had a long association with the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). He continues to tour regularly, both on his own and with the band Lunch at Allen’s.

 

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)

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